Random Griz Aviation Musings

[Gatordev]

At $100/tach hour, its an affordable path to help get to 1500. (billing is tach)

Is that something unique (ie, selling point) of your club? I've never seen anything other than Hobbes as the billing time (usually with an oil pressure, or for helos, a position sensor). Even with a constant speed prop, the tach is always going to be lower than Hobbes due to ground time and landing at low power.

 

[Griz882]

"Renting" a GA airplane in this climate is a real challenge. Most of these "FBO aircraft" are there to generate revenue via Part 61 training - and most of the owners keep the aircraft on a short leash that maximizes CFI and usage revenue.

This is one reason Aspen has (had) a good reputation...although a training organization, it has a large fleet and works kind of like a Hertz of the sky.

 

[VMO4]

What Chuck says is largely true, what is also true , at least around me is the dissappering of the professional CFI. The days of the CFI who made that his vocation, and had a decade teaching and broad experience is rare. Expect your CFI to be about 350-450 hours TT, and having his apps out for a survey job. Many of the schools around here are heavy part 141, and have swarms of Indian and Chinese in the pattern on a given day. A few have older steam gauge PA-28's that actually are easy to rent because they are not much use to the 141 crowd. About 150 an hour hobbs is the gong rate.

As I have a 1946 Piper J3, and I am also in tune with the classic taildragger crowd, where you can still find your old school CFI with thousands of hours of dual, and he will teach you to be a great pilot, but they are near impossible to rent solo, and not practical for the 100 hamburger crowd, or actually going somewhere through controlled airspace, etc..

 

[number9]

As I have a 1946 Piper J3, and I am also in tune with the classic taildragger crowd, where you can still find your old school CFI with thousands of hours of dual, and he will teach you to be a great pilot, but they are near impossible to rent solo, and not practical for the 100 hamburger crowd, or actually going somewhere through controlled airspace, etc..

I spent 3 hours in a Citabria this summer, and it was a lot of fun. Had an old-school CFI with thousands upon thousands of hours... but $300/hr gets pricey for training!

 

[Griz882]

I don’t live in MA anymore but my wife’s entire family is up there…this bill, had it passed, would have devastated GA in New England!

‘Climate Mitigation’ Fee Diverted After Pilot Response - FLYING Magazine

A fee for landing at airports in the state of Massachusetts—with the stated intent to “mitigate climate change”—has been diverted in wake of negative response from a range of constituents, the Massachusetts Airport Management Association (MAMA) announced on Wednesday. “The coordinated efforts of...

www.flyingmag.com

 

[wink]

I don’t live in MA anymore but my wife’s entire family is up there…this bill, had it passed, would have devastated GA in New England!

‘Climate Mitigation’ Fee Diverted After Pilot Response - FLYING Magazine

A fee for landing at airports in the state of Massachusetts—with the stated intent to “mitigate climate change”—has been diverted in wake of negative response from a range of constituents, the Massachusetts Airport Management Association (MAMA) announced on Wednesday. “The coordinated efforts of...

www.flyingmag.com

But it was for the children and fawns. Why do you hate children and baby deer?

 

[Griz882]

But it was for the children and fawns. Why do you hate children and baby deer?

If I may paraphrase Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”…

“Their cuteness is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.”

 

[ABMD]

But it was for the children and fawns. Why do you hate children and baby deer?

Maybe someone should invent an electric airplane, sorta like a Tesla of the skies...problem solved.

 

[Griz882]

Maybe someone should invent an electric airplane, sorta like a Tesla of the skies...problem solved.

Give me a range of 350 miles and a battery recharge of under two hours and I’ll buy one!

 

[ABMD]

Give me a range of 350 miles and a battery recharge of under two hours and I’ll buy one!

Instead of charging they should have a complete battery swap, like Tesla demoed a few years ago. Swap the battery for a fully charged unit faster than you could fill the tanks with fuel.

 

[jmcquate]

Electric any thing makes me chuckle. How do these IQ challenged jackasses think electricity is made?

 

[Griz882]

Instead of charging they should have a complete battery swap, like Tesla demoed a few years ago. Swap the battery for a fully charged unit faster than you could fill the tanks with fuel.

That could work, but it would require every manufacturer to use the exact same systems.

 

[ABMD]

Electric any thing makes me chuckle. How do these IQ challenged jackasses think electricity is made?

As someone who works in that industry I chuckle too!

 

[Pags]

Electric any thing makes me chuckle. How do these IQ challenged jackasses think electricity is made?

The argument is that electricity made at scale (powerplant) is done more efficiently than energy made locally (car engine) and that hybrid uses that energy more efficiently. At some point, yes, the energy does have to get generated by burning things.

 

[scoolbubba]

That could work, but it would require every manufacturer to use the exact same systems.

Elon talked about this on a podcast. The energy density in batteries isn't there, and the time to recharge is prohibitive. It will be a long time before a viable, heavier than air electric vehicle is produced.